xxxAddict
by UsurperOfTruth
Summary: In this world there are many unusual things. Bizarre and unexplained phenomena that even now can't be unexplained. Strange events that people shut their eyes to, as these things seem to have no answers. Despite this, people are the most fascinating of all.
1. x x x Daily Life 0-1

**x x x Daily Life 0.1**

 _Nothing in this world is fate, there is only coincidence._

I was very odd, I noted to myself.

I was pale, almost unnaturally so, and very tall for my age standing taller than the other girls easily, and being tall among even boys. Along with being tall, I was also rather thin, with only the fact that I had been lucky to gain notable curves that I hadn't ended up as flat as a board. My mother says that I get it from my great-great-grandmother, the similarity between the two of us was rather unsettling I had to admit. Looking at a picture of me compared to her, it would be very hard to tell us apart if not for one thing, the color of our eyes. Mine a dark, vivid crimson, and hers an almost grayish blue, though I noted that the color differed in some pictures. The likeness worried me, but it was but a small piece of my oddness. My mother had also said that she was some sort of witch, and considering that Parahumans existed I wouldn't dismiss it as mere fiction, but I wouldn't blatantly believe either.

I suppose, however, that the oddest thing was the tiny strings I could see connected to some.

"Oops, Hebert," Shadowy strings seemed to stretch out and up away from the girl, Sophia Hess I recalled was her name, as she looked down at the other notable person in the school. Insects, bugs, spiders, and even what appeared to be pieces of crab I think seemed to make up her strings, though more worrying was the black cloud that seemed to hang around her. "Maybe you should watch where you're going, wouldn't want you to break something, would we?" A mocking sneer stretched across her face for a few moments before she continued walking.

Sophia was a bundle of rage, the strings twisted over and over that seemed to be so tight that a single pluck would send them unraveling, and just like Taylor, a black cloud hung around her. I pity her.

On the ground of the hallway, Taylor Hebert sat, a mixture of rage, resignation, and spitefulness on her face hidden thinly behind a mask of annoyance. I could only wonder why she didn't do anything to improve her situation, a solid majority of the school did know of her bullying and it should be quite easy to get someone to vouch for you. I can't help but think that she has more than likely already given up, the act of deciding that something couldn't be done was almost the same in that case. Despite her uniqueness, I do not think I like her very much.

"Are you okay?" I ask from where I stood, my voice cutting cleanly through the cacophony despite the sounds of students making their way to class and interacting with one another being all around.

Her eyes turned and stared at me as if to say "Really?" before she grumbled a bit and got up by herself, a very lowly muttered "Yeah, I'm fine," being her last words to me before she walked away. Her strings following behind her, as well as the black cloud, both being constant companions in her seemingly self-imposed solitude.

 _Memories of a girl in a costume going down a dim road, if only because she could not see the others there. Her heinous acts, as well as her heroic acts, were well remembered. These were memories that weren't mine, yet all the same were._

I very much so did not like her, but I could emphasize I suppose.

"Sayaka!" I turn my head in time to catch sight of the blur right before it jumps at me, my body tenses instinctively as I brace myself and let out a sigh as I look down at the girl that was currently hugging herself in-between my breasts. "Your boobs are great today too Sayaka-chan~."

I can't help by cringe a bit when she says my name like that, thus I do the righteous thing and bop her upside the head, making her let go as she rubs her head pain. I make sure to not hold back properly, intent is everything.

Janice was short, standing at around 4-foot-11-inches if I remember correctly, maybe an inch or so less. She had been my neighbor since I was young, living in the Asian community with her family almost as if she belonged there, despite being Caucasian. Her looks were very typical, blonde hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. It was no small surprise that she hadn't been contacted by the E88, but I was thankful for it. Unfortunately, she was irredeemably an otaku, partly because of her parents, partly because it annoyed me. Though more troublesome was her insistence on "Yuri being the one love above all".

"You're rather persistent aren't you, Janice? You're almost comparable to some lesser bottom-feeder, it'd be almost admirable if not for the rotten perverted look in your eyes." I say teasingly as she hugs herself to me.

"Ow... your words sting almost as much as your hits do, Sayaka, not that I mind~."

"Of course not, a masochistic dog such as yourself probably finds this rather enjoyable. Almost like a bitch-in-heat, though perhaps that would be offensive to the dog, at least it's actions are made due to a sort of biological sense. Someone like you that merely relishes in such treatment is rather quite low in the scheme of things." Looking down at her, I can see the blood rush to her cheeks, the flush making for a bright red that stood contrast against her fair skin. Going for the killing blow, I leaned down closer and whispered huskily in her ear. "Perhaps, that's how you wanted to be treated though, _like the horny dog you are~_."

Expecting what came next, my arms easily wrapped around her as she seemed to faint, her face red enough that I was sure if this was one of those trashy anime she watched, she'd be steaming from the ears.

I let out a small giggle as I picked up the much lighter girl, she was very fun to tease despite it all.

I did my best to ignore the red string that tied us together, it'd be better for her that way.

My side-work was very dangerous after all.

It apparently came with the name we carried my mother told me once.

Ichihara, the name for those that bore the burden of having the bizarre, exciting, and unexplained seemed to gather around.


	2. x x x Daily Life 0-2

**x x x Daily Life 0.2**

I was very much so odd.

It was after all, not considered normal for people to see spirits.

"Sayaka-chan, how are you today?"

"I am perfectly fine, Ueno-san, have those young boys came back recently?" This was the spirit of elderly man that had died a few months ago, the second week of September to be more precise. It had been a car accident, a couple of reckless drivers having been doped up on some drugs, and Ueno Bakura, who had come from New York to visit his son, had been unfortunate enough to have been the victim of their hit-and-run accident. I had heard they were found only a block away, injured after having crashed their car into a telephone pole. Whether it was due to having unfinished business or some other lingering sentiment, instead of peacefully moving on, he had become a spirit that had tied himself to this street. It was fortunate that he hadn't died with darkness staining his heart, if only because a Yōkai[1] could be formed that way. Those were annoying to deal with.

"No, since you gave them a good scare last time they've stopped knocking down the beautiful Kinmokusei[2] that you bring for me. It is rather surprising for a young lady such as yourself to take an interest in Kendo, Sayaka-chan." He said stroking his grey beard. In most ways he was still human, he looked the part and spoke the part easily, it was only the fact that he could only be seen and heard by those spiritually aware that made me sure that he was a spirit.

"In a city like this, my Mother was sure that I would need some protection, it is why I began lessons in both Kendo and Aikido at a young age. Though, my continuing of them in highschool was purely of my own choice in the end. I am quite thankful for them after all, fools who disrespect the dead will soon enough, more often than naught, lose their heads." I could only think of the much scarier things that tended to skulk about now, the Yōkai that were formed from the victims of villains were some of the more dangerous too.

"Aha, that Hinami-san was always a rather protective woman, of both her friends and her family. How is she then? Last you told me she seemed to be overworking herself."

"My Mother is actually on Sick Leave, working as much as she does is rather strenuous and despite me trying to make sure she takes a break now and then, she can't help but push herself for some reason," I allowed myself to pout a bit in irritation at that thought, "Regardless of that, she's been set for a promotion as far as I know. I only wish that she'd be able to spend more time home instead of being away on business for most of the year."

"That is just like her, even after our homeland was destroyed she still works as if she is there, much like a career woman. Please make sure that she takes breaks now and then, I would not want to see her suffer from Karōshi[3] because she wishes to do too much at her age."

"Indeed, I will do so, Ueno-san." I bowed slightly in response.

"Good, I wish you a good day then, Sayaka-chan. Make sure to visit me when you can, and tell my shitty son that he needs to stop being some sort of fake Oni. I raised him better than that."

"Of course, and you too, Ueno-san." Bowing one more time I walked off.

I noted the odd-eyes on me as I walked off to my next destination. Thinking on it, having a chat with a person that none could see was rather odd wasn't it? I smiled slightly, I suppose I should work on that.

* * *

 **1\. Supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore**

 **2\. Kinmokusei, aka, mokusei, are Orange Osmanthus flowers, symbolisms include "truth", "noble person", and more.**

 **3\. Essentially death by overworking, an issue that plagues Japan still though has decreased much from its pique.**


	3. xxx Symbol 1-1

**x x x Symbol 1.1**

She had been walking around the Boardwalk, her Cousin having let her go off the leash little bit, live like a normal teenager and all that shit.

It had been awhile since that was the case, really. She understood why, grades were important because her side-thing wasn't going to be a steady source of income forever, or something could happen to her that would put her out-of-commission and blah blah blah. She'd heard it once before, and she was sure that she'd probably hear it again if she fucked in her classes again, or got called in for getting in trouble for something or another. It wasn't her fault that some Span-, spic she had to remind herself, started some shit with her over what was just her mingling with some "friends". Had she said some offensive shit? Yes, but she didn't really have much of a choice since she had found herself in this fucking mess with the Herren Clan as a whole.

It was great at first, she could be more free, speak how she wanted, get into fights with others, go to parties, and just live the wild teenager lifestyle, and her Uncle would back her up when it came down to it. Then came her being arrested on a minor offense, not supposed to be more than a few months in juvie, and hey she was tough, she could take it right? The answer was fucking no, and those months were some of her fucking worse. Being treated like shit by people that her Uncle had told her repeatedly were inferior didn't work with her, so of course she had tried to fight back, tried to talk shit to them, and all she got was humiliation and beat the fuck up.

It was even worse, when she found she didn't have any friends with the same complexion as her either, being racist apparently didn't really fly in this day and age unless you had strength, others who believed, or numbers, and she had none of those. Hell, the other white girls treated her like shit too, color didn't matter in there, and while she knew it probably would have been different if she had just had at least a few that agreed with her fucked-up thoughts, that hadn't been the case. So of course, she triggered and broke out, causing more problems for her family and landing her smack-dab in the middle of the Empire 88 being one of the few people that didn't really buy into the shit that Kaiser was feeding everyone.

Did she believe in the strength? Sure, hell that was the reason that they were considered the strongest group in the city really, they had more capes than everybody, and while Lung was an issue, he was one guy and he couldn't be everywhere, nor could his lieutenant Oni Lee. The Heroes were in a similar situation too, not being willing to go full-force, nor having the numbers to pin the E88 down entirely.

It was a fucked situation to think about, and despite her trying to think about how things could've went differently, she didn't see any way for her to not be connected to the E88 in the future. Her family wouldn't take very kindly to her up and leaving, an understatement really, and well... part of her liked the fighting and from what she had heard, being a Ward would see her missing out on that part of the entire shitty business.

But, Carly Jones, also known as Rune, wasn't on the Boardwalk to angst about her situation. She was here to relax a bit by herself, keep her head centered so she didn't find herself thinking too negatively. Sometimes it worked, other times not so much. She shook her head at that thought, taking a sip of the coffee in her hand she tried to remind herself of something more normal, like the fact that it was fucking cold today. Yeah, it was September, but it wasn't supposed to be below 50 degrees, nor fucking windy. A truly sinister combination that only wasn't that bad because she used to have days like this back in Chicago.

Heh, she smiled at the memories of her going to that small arcade with her friends, hanging out and just shooting the shit with them. Chloe had been such an obnoxious punk at times, more headstrong than her at times, but she was a damn good friend. Carly could remember when the two of them had gotten into that fight with that group of girls that had been trying to mess with them, her and Chloe had came home with some bruises definitely, but the smiling looks on their faces from having known that the the other girls had gotten off worse was more than worth it.

Maybe she should give her a call? It'd been a few months but...

"Oomph..." Launched backwards and onto her ass, it was only her quick reactions that made it so her coffee didn't spill all over her as she clenched just tight enough for it to not slip, she was brought out of her thoughts by bumping into someone. Biting back the annoyance that welled up immediately, even though she knew that it was mostly her fault because she was thinking too damn much, she looked up to find a pair of crimson eyes looking down at her.

"Oh... hmm, I'm sorry I wasn't watching where I was going particularly, do you need some help?" A hand reached down in front of her, almost made Carly instinctively slap it away, no weakness, but the more rational part of her decided to grab a hold of it and pull herself up.

"It's fine, I wasn't watching where I was going either anyways." Carly said after a moment, checking herself to make sure she didn't drop anything nor that her clothes ripped.

"Yes, that does make sense, you did appear to be deep in thought? Perhaps, thinking of a cherished friend no longer near? Or simply happier times than now?" The woman said to her after a few seconds, hitting far too close to home for Rune.

"Yeah, something like that, what's it to you?" She said a bit hotly, that part of her quick to anger trying to rear its ugly head.

Fully looking at the woman in front of her, the first thing Rune noted that she was fucking tall. Not like 7 foot or anything, but at least 6'3", easy. The second was of course the fact that the woman was Asian, as noted by her face and the fact that her long black hair was done up in a bun with what look like decorated chopsticks serving as pins. Carly's first instinct was to immediately take back her semi-apology and belittle the woman, fancy way of saying that she was taught to call them slants and think they were inferior, big surprise, but luckily her common sense told her that she was fine so long as none of her new friends saw her.

"Oh nothing really, I can just tell. The strings wrapped around you are a bit too tight, and you had an air of melancholy about you, and though I could have chose to simply ignore you, I thought it'd be more interesting to voice my thoughts. While there is no such thing as fate, I do think coincidences such as this are rather fascinating, of course though... my words must seem rather bizarre to you?" The woman said to Carly with a small smirk on her face, even as she subtly tried to back up from the woman that was clearly talking nonsense at this point.

"Yeah, yeah sure. Anyways, I have to go now Miss..."

"Sayaka. Oh, and no need to call me miss, I am only a couple of years older than you after all."

"Uh huh," Looking closer at the face Carly could maybe believe it, she didn't actually know why she had defaulted to calling her Miss now that she thought about it, "Anyway then, I'm Carly, I guess. See ya around, maybe." She said as politely as she could and turned around and started walking, her pace just a bit faster than normal to make sure none of the street idiots in the gang thought she was being chummy or anything with the "enemy".

"Oh, of course. After all, I believe this is merely the start of something more~." She could here the girl's words trail behind her, with a tone that sent uncomfortable shivers down her spine, maybe she should move a little faster and get away from this weirdo?

She still had a few hours left before the thing tonight, she'd try and chill until then and maybe put the girl's, Sayaka's, words out of her head.


	4. xxx Symbol 1-2

**x x x Symbol 1.2**

Rune knew that she had fucked up almost as soon as she realized that something wasn't right about this whole set-up.

It was supposed to be a simple job, show up do a distraction on the Merchants so that Victor could do his thing and get a bit of info on why the hell they were being so shifty the last few weeks and maybe damage them a bit more and remind them of the fact they were scum. More than that, this was supposed to be her responsibility, a solo job, in so much as solo meant singular cape in her case, as a way to provide her a chance to prove that she could handle going it without having back-up right with her. Rune had only gotten a few of those so far, so of course, she wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this. She made sure to play things up when asking, and it was easy with Othala and Victor backing her up, even Hookwolf did as well, and whilst that was fucking worrying she was thankful.

However, it was shortly into the job itself that things went sour.

She had a group of more senior gang members as her sort of foot-soldiers, loaded up with some guns and of course bats and just basic fucking shit to beat people with. Of course, she told them to try not to kill, but anything else was find. Rune couldn't look weak to them, they already thought of her as a kid, and while she was, she was still higher than them in the E88, and that was what was really important. While she wasn't fine with death, she could only do so much, and she ignored the part of her that told her that she could just tell the gang to fuck-off. She had already did shit, nothing horribly illegal yet, but enough so that she would definitely be in-trouble if she did without having the proper tides at her back.

So she's wrecking up one of the Merchant's building, just flushing them out by launching bricks at the windows with the occasional heavier object thrown too when she knew there was no imminent chance of her killing someone with it. Accidents could happen, but she couldn't hamstring herself too much otherwise it'd be too easy for some fucker to either shoot or just generally get to her, even if she was in the air. However, the Merchant trash that she was dealing with hadn't been afraid, and in-hindsight, they had seemed to be actively defending a part of the building. She had ignored it at the time as them being too dumb to flee, her big fuck-up honestly.

Everything seemed fine at first, and then there was the loud revving of something that must've belonged to that bitch Squealer and shit just went to hell from there.

What must've been some sort of Frankenstein combination of a trunk and a tank had busted through the side of the building, sending rubble everywhere, but most importantly was the fact that it had dual-mounted turrets on top of it. The first rain of bullets had both sides scrambling, whoever the idiot inside of it was had opened fire in the general direction of where her group had been, seemingly not realizing that his group was there too, so both sides tried to dodge the best they could. The lucky ones, through some miracle, managed to avoid the worst of the bullets and get nicks, everyone else was not nearly as fortunate.

The stench of blood had quickly filled the air, along with sounds of those unfortunate enough to not die immediately.

Rune had been lucky, being in the air had helped along side the fact that she had reacted quick enough to move out of the way for the most part, of course that didn't fucking mean much when the fucking thing had focused on her. Having focused on quickly taking the fucking thing out, she did something hella reckless, she dive-bombed directly towards after pulling a few more of the objects she had touched as ammo in close to serve as armor instead. It had worked, and she had managed to get in a decent enough location where the fuckers couldn't shake her off the thing nearly quick enough.

Telling her remaining grunts to get the rest of the stragglers that could shoot at her, gave her just enough time to snag the machine and then from there she had just dumped them out. Then hit them both with some trash can lids as hard as she could, in the heat of the moment she wasn't feeling very fucking lenient since they had decided to freaking not only shoot at her but also there own people as well. It was only luck that this one had been apparently stored here and being watched over by fucking idiots.

Of course it was at this moment, that a pain unlike any she had felt before shot through her side.

And thus how Rune came to realize that her admittedly dumb idea, hadn't let her come off unscathed.

"S-shit..." She pressed her hands against the small, but gaping wound in her thigh, the other nicks being largely ignored in the face of the major fucking damage that had been done to her fucking leg. Blood was just pouring out, and though she could hear amongst the sounds of those on her side fighting against the few remaining Merchants, the sound of someone calling for help, she felt herself going numb rapidly. The bullet that hit her must've hit an artery, wasn't that just fucking great?

"II don't...wanna...d-die." She spoke more to herself than anything as she used her power to hover the large earthen platform she had used for most of the fight over to herself, but even as she did she could see the black spots in her vision grow. That only made her try harder, keeping one hand on her leg as tight as she could, and damn did she wish she had taken that basic first-aid class she couldn't help but think, as she tried to will the platform to move just a bit faster. Rune growled as she exerted herself more and more, to stop was to give up, to accept death and she was a fighter damn it! If she could just get herself on top of it, she could just fly herself to help! So... she couldn't give up! N-not now! She didn't want die! She couldn't die! Right?! Right?

In a single instant everything seemed to stop. There was no sound, no pain, no color, everything became gray, static, motionless.

The click-clack of heels on concrete resounded in the silence, and somehow Rune could see the very familiar crimson eyes looking down on her, a neutral look in them.

She knew that fucking girl was off, the bitch was some sort of fucking cape. And now she had stumbled upon Rune in this fucked up situation, where she was bleeding out from a fucking stupid mistake, and had somehow either stopped time or some other bullshit. Whatever the case, Rune couldn't help but note that the girl was dressed in some strange robe[1], probably some sort of Asian thing. It was white, with long sleeves, trimmed with black, gold, and hints of red here and there. Her long black hair seemed to somehow billow outwards, the long silky strands forming a curtain behind Sayaka, making Rune note that hair that long had to be impractical as shit. More importantly, she didn't have a fucking mask.

Rune tried to speak, whether to tell the girl to go the fuck away, help her, or ask what the fuck was wrong with, she didn't know, but her voice wouldn't come out.

"You wish to live, correct?"

Yes! Yes she fucking wanted to live! What sort of question was that?

"You'd be surprised. Humans, no more like sentient beings, are capable of many things, some strange to others and quite familiar to most. Though, I'm sure that's not on your mind right now. You're in quite the mess you know, Carly? In other worlds you'd definitely recover, the bullet not hitting anything vital, and in those it did, your back-up was conveniently closer to you to get you the proper help. However, here, things were not so. My mother says that there is no such thing as coincidence, there is nothing but fate. That all events that have happened, have happened for a reason intrinsically and have a certain meaning to them. Unfortunately for you, it would be your fate to die." Sayaka finishes after a few seconds.

What? That can't fucking possibly be true? Rune knew the girl was crazy, but telling her that she was fated to die was utter bullshit, unbelievable fucking garbage. And yet, a part of her couldn't shake the feeling that her words were true.

"Yes, well, I was never a fan of my mother's words. I think that nothing is entirely fate, that everything is indeed coincidence!" Thrusting her hand outward, Sayaka snapped her fingers to her declaration. Rune felt a twitch in her leg as the blood that had pooled around her leg gained color, and then she bit her lip to stop herself from letting out a cry as the flow inverted. "Things happen as they do, not because they were set in stone long ago! It is the thought of a pessimist otherwise!" A paper fan appeared in Sayaka's outstretched hand as the wound in Rune's leg seem to close up near-instantly. "Because everything is coincidence, I make my own decisions! Ohohoho!"

Rune didn't know what the hell was happening anymore, who the hell was this crazy girl?

"Me?" Holding her fan to her face, Sayaka spoke, "I am Sayaka Ichihara, Witch of Brockton Bay, and currently the one that has healed your leg," The look in her eyes intensified as her jovial mood quickly faded, "However, I will let you know, that this wasn't for free. Unfortunately, I am unable to do such things, Carly Jones. We are connected until the contract between us is complete, in granting your wish to live many trials will assail you to fix this balance, you'd do well to prepare yourself. Tata~."

And then just as quickly as she had arrived, the self-proclaimed Witch was gone, just as everything unfroze and the chaos started once more.

Rune could only sit there confused, thankful, but very, very confused, with one thought running through her head.

 _What the hell had just happened?_

* * *

 **1\. A kimono dress, different than a typical kimono in that it is more revealing, and can be in variations that make it smaller, going down to merely mid-thigh.**


	5. xxx Symbol 1-3

****x x x Symbol 1.3****

It was only a few days later that Carly found herself back at the Boardwalk.

However, it wasn't for any sort of relaxation, it was to find the odd girl that knew her identity as Rune.

It hadn't been too hard to tell them, her cousin and Victor, that things had went a bit belly up on her job and that she wasn't 100% mentally, and despite Margaret healing her physically she wasn't ready to go back to work immediately. They had the harder job of relaying that to Kaiser, but Margaret and Victor had some sway, so Carly was sure that things would be fine. She had fed them a slightly different story than what had happened, not omitting that she had been wounded, but explaining it as if she hadn't gotten the really bad hole in her leg that had her bleeding out quickly. It would grate her to be treated like a kid because of the perceived weakness, but she could put up with it.

There was obviously a much bigger issue on her mind, the issue, of course, being the strange girl that had saved her.

The girl was definitely some sort of crazy, people didn't just simply spout nonsense like she did for no reason, nor where they nearly as eccentric, however the fact that she was a cape, a stupid one if the lack of a mask was any indication, was also damn important. She obviously had powers, what they were exactly, well, Carly had to assume that she must've been some sort of Trump. That or the girl had people hiding or something with other powers being used in what had most certainly been some sort of frozen time bubble. Regardless of that, Carly was here specifically because she didn't like the feeling of owing someone like Sayaka anything, and that her parting words had set Carly on edge a bit.

What the hell had she meant by them being connected? And what sort of "contract" had Carly made with the girl? As far as she was concerned the only thing she owed the girl was a thank-you and maybe doing a thing or two to make them even. However, she definitely had her own questions that she would make the idiot answer too, like how the hell she knew that Carly was Rune most importantly. There was a sort-of unspoken rule that you didn't fuck with a cape, villain or hero, in their civilian identity unless you wanted to be fucked up, at least that's what had been told to her. The fear of having any of the people that didn't know she was Rune find out that she was, was very real, and she wasn't going to let it happen.

If that meant she had to get rough, well she had her cell-phone and as long as she was near throw-able items she had options, including just telling the rest of the E88 that some weird girl knows who she is, and that she was Asian. It'd be practically a death sentence, Carly knew that, but it was the nuclear option for a reason.

Now, if only she could find the dam-

"Oho, looking for me then?" The words were accompanied by a gust of wind that made Carly swing around, her heart pumping as the words had been too close.

It was as she whipped her head around that she quickly realized that something wasn't right, in-front of her was certainly not what should be. Instead of what she knew should have been a view clear of the ocean, there was instead a large, though old styled, house. It was a faded red color, the bricks obviously having seen better days, and was gated by a large wooden fence, the wood a dark earthen brown, seeming newer than the rest of the building. The gate itself leading into the place itself was odd, being this weird Vermillion pillar-like structure[1] with seemingly nothing blocking the entrance.

Carly however focused on the girl standing in front of the gate, leaning against one of the pillars casually really.

Sayaka was in a new outfit again, this one much more casual, being just a pair of red jeans, and black camisole top, with her hair done up in a long ponytail with bangs, Carly noted that her hair was just as weirdly long as before coming down to her lower back easily. She seemed to have a look of amusement on her face.

"Yeah, I was, me and you need to talk about some things." Carly said after a moment to regain her footing, she still had her phone and she wasn't going to let herself appear to be weak in this situation. The girl had saved her life, so she probably wasn't in too much danger, even if this whole thing seemed too fucking sketchy to be purely legitimate.

"Why of course, we do have business to attend to don't we? Namely, the contract made between me and you."

"Yeah, about that? The hell do you mean by contract?"

"Why, of course, the contract made to make sure you lived a few nights ago. My... power, works a bit like equivalent exchange, for a certain price anything is possible, however afterwards the person who benefited must pay a fitting price otherwise the actions will undo themselves, ultimately bringing things back to balance."

Carly paled a bit at that, if what Sayaka had just said was true then...

"Yes, as it stands, I'd say in roughly a week, your leg will revert and not only that, you will end up in that exact same state you were at the moment I healed you. Death would be all but inevitable unless you happened to be near the right people whenever it happened, which I suppose could be possible, but even then... well as I said I've foreseen that your death was supposed to happen there and the world would try to make this true if you just stayed alive." Sayaka explained, her words neutral as she talked, as if this was something common for her.

"What the hell do you mean the world would "try to make this true"?! And how the hell can I fix this shit so I don't die?!" Rune yelled at the girl in front of her.

"Well, a fitting price is rather subjective. In the case of someone that valued life very little, something small would work, like a cherished item from prior experiences. However, in your case, your wish was strong, thus the price is strong. However, this can be worked around a bit. All I need from you is to work in my shop," Sayaka gestured with her hand at the house behind her, "For the next week. Being in close proximity to me should bleed off the cost, and don't worry, all you'll need to do is tend to the shop for the most part, nothing quite serious."

"And why should I fucking do that, you know who I am after all so why shouldn't I just kidnap you until this thing blows over?" She was bluffing, Carly was smart enough to realize that this was a dumb idea, but she wasn't really being serious. This was really just to make sure that she wasn't being taken for a fool, and more importantly see if this was the only way. Carly was smart enough to realize that she'd have to explain where she was, and what she was doing, if she ended up making it a habit of going out for the next week. She wasn't looking forward to the potential fallout if it was found out she was working in a place like this.

"Well, you could try, but I think that you would find that it wouldn't be nearly worth the effort and the consequences would be quite dire for you." Sayaka's following smirk, sent chill's down Carly's spine, okay she wasn't going to push her luck too much.

She'd just have to be careful, make sure she wasn't being actively followed by anybody important, and just give her cousin and parents the right info to make them think that everything was fine. So long as no one too important snooped on her, she'd be fine. Hopefully.

"Alright, alright whatever. So, just for a week right?"

"Of course, my word is my bond. I would never lie in such a situation."

"Okay... well, I guess I have to accept then. I'd rather not fucking die due to some shitty power."

"Alright then, follow me, and I'll show you around. You'll start tomorrow, and all you have to do is stop in at around noon for at least a few hours, is that fine with you?" Sayaka's words seemed to become distant as she stepped through the strange gate.

Carly's followed behind, stopping at the odd gate for a moment, before taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

"Yeah, that'll be fine, I guess."

An odd feeling settled in the pit of her gut, why did she feel as if she had just made a big mistake?

* * *

 **1\. A Torii gate - A traditionally Japanese gate, typically found at the entrance, or within, a Shinto shrine, where it marks the transisition between the mundane and the sacred, the physical world and the spiritual.**


	6. x x x Daily Life 0-3

**x x x Daily Life 0.3  
**  
After showing Carly around the shop, I allowed her to leave, I needed to prepare some things for her to be able to come here tomorrow.

This was only the third time that I had gotten involved, officially, with a potential customer, and while I had some experience with this, I could feel a headache already coming on from this. My Mother hadn't agreed with me doing this, saying that I wasn't ready for this, that I would make mistakes that would not only be dire for me, but also dire for those around me if I messed up. I assured her that I was more than prepared, the chance for me to mistake whilst possible, was something rather unlikely.

 _Memories of a witch of dimensions and time, and a boy that had wished to die who grew close to her, the wishes granted too similar, too familiar to the ones that I could do so to be merely happenstance. These memories were certainly [not] mine._

I was also assured by my grandmother, before she had passed away, that I was more than ready for the position. Before she had passed on from this world fully, she had taught me the things that I **[already]** knew. And even now, her spirit seemed to come back from the mountains every now and then to check up on me and mother, to see that were still on the right path even as she knew that eventually she would no longer be able to come visit us. It was a sentiment that I appreciated.

"Atsuko-san! We have work to do." My voice rang out throughout my shop as the sounds of small feet scrabbled across the ground.

The scent of smoke and ash wafted in air as a small fox came from out of the backroom where I kept some of the more dangerous tools that I had come across, the purple veil that I knew was enchanted easily parting to let it through. Its fur was a dull gray, with dark blue markings on top of its head and underneath its eyes.

"What the hell do you want now, lady?" The childish voice that came from the fox, did not at all match the gruff tone it tried to take.

"We have to prepare for our new customer, of course! I need everything to be cleaned, oh and maybe I should buy something for the look of the place too, a change of pace would be nice after all and then maybe some food too. I don't think we have any Dango[1] left, and we have the Autumnal Equinox[2] soon too, there's just so many things that need to be taken care of, but first we need to make sure that we set a really good impression for our guest! And-" My words spilled out in a stream of chatter that the fox had long gotten used to.

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled loudly and sent a puff of ash straight at my face, cutting me off mid-sentence, as I sputtered and coughed not having seen it coming.

"You need to calm the hell down, this isn't even that serious, not even higher than a 5 on the scale of actual danger and you yourself told me that the girl doesn't even really have that interesting of a future ahead of her if you just let her go." Atsuko said as he stretched his paws, climbing up on-top of one of the many large wooden cabinets that sat in the front room. "Hell, you even said that the cost isn't even actually all that bad, that habit of yours, exaggerating shit, ain't what your Grandmother would've wanted."

"I," My sentence was interrupted as I coughed some more, the ash and smoke still messing with me a bit, "I know that. However, the danger was very real, and it was quite possible that she was going to die. It was only afterwards that I saw that she would manage to pull through due to some quick thinking from one of the mooks that she had brought with her, it is why I'm only making her work here for a week. Anymore than that, and her price would be paid more than the required amount, and it would be nice to give someone like her a chance to better herself, don't you think?"

"Well, whatever, so long as you know what you're getting into Ichihara. Someone like her ain't going to be worth the effort, especially when you're running on a limited time-schedule. Even more than that you have other obligations to handle as well."

"Yes, yes, I know this already, Atsuko-san. Now, would you be a dear and go into the storage room and fetch me the tome with an S on it, I have to make sure that this place stays free from any potential... interference."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, lady." Jumping from his perch, Atsuko made his way deeper into the shop.

Things were becoming very interesting, I thought to myself.

Now, if only I didn't have to deal with school.

* * *

 **1\. Dango is a Japanese dumpling and sweet made from mochiko, also known as rice flour, and is eaten year round, though different varieties are made for different seasons traditionally.**  
 **2\. In this context, a Japanese holiday to pay respects to deceased family members, visit family graves and hold family reunions in honor of those who have passed.**


End file.
